Emirati brothers search for Indian half-sister

Two brothers in the UAE are searching for their Indian half-sister after their father told them that he had a daughter in India whom he had never met.
Ibrahim Abdulla, who lives in Sharjah's Khorfakkan area, said his father informed him and his brother Ahmed about their sister three years ago just before his death.
Abdulla said his father was worried that he had not fulfilled his responsibility towards their sister born in India 40 years ago, Khaleej Times reported today.
Hope flickered in the two brothers when they read recent reports in the local media about a 40-year-old Indian woman who had come to the UAE in search of her father. They contacted Dubai Police immediately but their hope was short-lived.

When the two brothers approached police, they learnt the woman belonged to another family living in another emirate.
Colonel Mohammed Al Murr, Director of General Department of Human Rights of Dubai Police, acknowledged the case of the two brothers was unusual.

"We usually receive cases of people coming from abroad to the UAE to prove that they belong to an Emirati family or another, but not of Emiratis in search for their relatives," he said.
Abdulla said Ahmed, who lives in London, and their other sisters are keen to find their Indian half-sister. The two brothers have also visited India several times in search of her.

He said their father told them that he had married an Indian woman during one of his visits to India for work. Months after he returned to the UAE, he learnt that she had given birth to a baby girl whose name was Fatima.
The father travelled to India many times but could not track down his wife and daughter.
Abdulla said UAE authorities have agreed to help them in finding their half-sister in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other organisations.